The North-East Summit || Middlesbrough F.C. news, reviews and comment

THE NORTH-EAST SUMMIT - DECISION TIME IN THE NORTH-EAST 13-3-08
Stuart Young

All three sides in the north-east are set for a nail biting close to the season and it's big decisions that will determine whether they will survive.

Middlesbrough

Southgate's decision to leave out club captain Julio Arca and fellow midfielder Fabio Rochemback was a bold one and after last night's performance, it turned out to be the right decision.

Arca and Fabio were replaced by George Boateng and Mohamed Shawky and both replacements were in fine form as they dominated Aston Villa's midfield throughout.

I can see why Southgate made these changes as he wanted to freshen up the side after the cup exit on Sunday and give other players the chance to prove themselves.

The Boro boys fully deserved a win at Villa Park and should have had the game sewn up by half-time. This seems to have been a problem all season.

Mido had a great chance to make it 2-0 with an open goal but wasted his chance by smashing the ball over the bar. It is moments like this that will make the last remaining games very nervous for the players and fans.

Major decisions by referees to award penalties that are blatantly not penalties could also make the difference as to whether a team will go down or stay up.

If Boro were to be relegated this season due to having one or two points less than the team in safety above them, I wonder if Steve Bennett will receive many Christmas cards this year from Boro fans.

Boro now face Arsenal away on Saturday evening and if they can play as well as they did on Wednesday night then there is no reason why they can't cause an upset.

Sunderland

Sunderland chairman Niall Quinn's decision to reveal that the club have a plan B regarding relegation from the Premier League might have a negative effect on the team's hopes of survival.

Surely Sunderland fans don't want to be hearing about relegation plans. They want to be hearing about survival and looking forward to another season in the top-flight. I don't think this revelation was a very clever move by the Sunderland chairman - wait until you are actually relegated before revealing plans about life in the Championship.

Roy Keane welcomes back Carlos Edwards into his squad for this weekend's clash against Chelsea at the Stadium of Light. The Trinidad and Tobago international has recovered from the broken leg he suffered back in December.

Edwards is a player who will provide creativity in the final third and his inclusion in the side will be a massive boost for the remaining games of the season.

The comeback of Edwards will be much needed after they lost to Everton at home last weekend. The game lacked any real quality and although Keane's men were up for the fight, they had nothing to offer in the final third.

I expect a scrap on Saturday as both teams are fighting for different reasons. It could be a long afternoon for Sunderland fans though as Chelsea arrive on the back of a 6-1 win against fellow strugglers Derby County.

Newcastle

I'm wondering when the slide down the league will stop but looking at recent games, it is surely set to continue.

Kevin Keegan has massive decisions to make regarding his starting line-up. Obafemi Martins is fit and looked sharp against Liverpool when he came on. If Newcastle are to survive this miserable run then Keegan will have to think about where the goals are going to come from because at the other end, it seems the concession of goals is set to continue.

Keegan's men were humiliated again at the weekend, this time at Anfield. It was not a happy return for Kev as his troops were well beaten 3-0 by a very in-form Liverpool side.

Newcastle have got tough games against fellow strugglers Birmingham, Fulham and Reading coming up and this could be a vital time for the team's survival in the Premier League.

They travel to Birmingham City on Monday night, which will be a massive game. If they lose then they will find themselves in deep trouble.

Keegan has the task of trying to get Newcastle to win their first game since December. The Newcastle boss has rallied his players this week and has told them to focus on their remaining games and not worry about how the other teams around them are getting on.

There could be considerable changes in the positions over the next few weeks but it's Boro who lead the way with Newcastle and Sunderland close behind for the race to the Summit.

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